Somebody's Crying
by TowMondler
Summary: What if Joey had been there that night in London when Monica was lonely?
1. That night in London

Hello! How is everyone today? I'm really good, but cold. Like really, really cold. Anyway, I thought what would happen if Joey had been there that night in London. What would have really happened? This is my take on it. REVIEW!

Disclaimer: Funny story, they're not mine, well, actually, that wasn't so funny.

Monica stood in front of the door bouncing from one foot to the other. She was sipping a drink, her...well, she had lost count of how many she had drank, and waiting for someone to answer the door. Hoping that it would be her good friend Joey. She needed meaningless sex. And who better to have meaningless sex with then the king of meaningless sex himself? Her hopes were answered as Joey opened the hotel door and gave her a smile. 

"Hey Mon," he said. "What's up?"  
"Is Chandler in there?" She asked. He shook his head. 

"He went to get something to eat," Joey answered. 

"I thought you were going out tonight with that bridesmaid?" Monica asked stalling. She suddenly didn't know about this. 

"I don't know," Joey said shrugging. "I just didn't." 

"Joey?" Monica's voice was low and she leaned forward. He instinctively leaned forward to hear her. "Can I ask you a question?" He nodded.

"Sure, Mon, anything," he told her and braced himself for her words. As soon as they were out of her mouth, he knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Their lives were changed from that point on. 

"Will you sleep with me?" His mouth dropped open and he went to answer her, but didn't know what to say to that. 

"Are you serious?" She nodded feverishly. "How drunk are you?" She shrugged. 

"Drunk enough to know I want to do this, not drunk enough for you to be taking advantage of me," she told him. 

"Monica..." He started, letting her in and pacing as he thought about it. He had always wanted to have sex with her. Of course, that really didn't mean anything, as he wanted to have sex with Rachel and Phoebe too. She was a hot woman and he was very attracted to hot women. But she was one of his best friends, and besides that she was...No he had promised he would never tell anyone. She sat on the edge of the bed nervously waiting for him to say something, anything. He just paced weighing the options in his head. She was Monica, his friend, but she was also Monica, the beautiful woman across the hall. He had dreams about her. He had often let himself wonder what she was...No, he couldn't do that, he had to stay strong. He would tell her no. Of course not. He couldn't do that. She was Ross's baby sister. She was his friend. She was...She was gorgeous. Her legs crossed as she tapped her foot to an invisible beat. So, he opened his mouth to tell her no, and instead when he spoke he said,

"Sure." Sure? Sure? Where had that come from? He had meant no. Hadn't he? Did he really want to do this? The answer came a lot quicker then he thought it would. Yes. Yes, he wanted to do this. 

"Really?" She asked looking up. He nodded. 

"Maybe we should go back to your room," he said. "Chandler will be back soon." She nodded and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room and down the hall to her room. She threw open the door and as soon as she was inside, he kissed her. He took her into his arms and kissed her. It felt so good. Like he was meant to kiss her. She responded eagerly to his kisses. Time seemed to slow down as he laid her on the bed and slowly undid her zipper. Tossing the red dress onto the carpet of the floor, he kissed her as continued undressing both of them. Down the hall in his own room, their best friend flipped through the channels wondering where Joey had gone, and if Monica was feeling any better. He sat in his ignorance and didn't know that his best friend was now sleeping with the woman that he had loved from a distance for years. He finally turned out his light figuring Joey had hooked up with some girl and was staying at her room tonight. If he only knew. 

The next morning, Monica awoke with strong arms around her. She rubbed her eyes, and her temples to rid the slight hangover she had from drinking the previous night. She rolled over to see who was in the bed with her and gasped as she saw Joey and the memories from the night before filtered back into her mind. 

"Oh my God," she said sitting up and shaking her head. "This didn't happen. I didn't do this. I didn't do anything." Joey rolled over and feeling cold where her body had been he woke up to see her sitting up and shaking her head.

"Monica?" He asked sitting up quickly. Then it hit him as well. What they had done the night before, and the consequences of those actions. "We...we....need to talk, I think." She just gave a short nod and turned to face him and listen to what he was going to say.

"Last night..." she started. 

"It was..." he was trying to formulate in his mind what he should say. The truth was the night before had been amazing. She had been amazing. But did she feel the same way? Was she as enthralled with him as he was becoming with her? She looked into his eyes.

"What do you think Joey?" She asked. 

"I think that it was good," he answered honestly. He waited on baited breath for the reply. It came quietly and he almost asked her to speak up because he couldn't hear what she had said. 

"So do I," she said. Joey leaned forward and took her face in his hands as he kissed her ever so gently on the mouth. 

"So now what?" He asked. 

"Now," she said half dazed and breathless from the kiss. "You go back to your apartment and I get in the shower and we go to Ross's wedding." Joey nodded and kissed her once more before getting out of the bed.

"I think I have a better solution," he said. "How about you and I get in the shower and then I go back to my room."

"But won't Chandler notice?" Monica asked and the name of his best friend snapped him back to reality. Chandler. He hadn't thought of Chandler. Chandler, the Chandler who was in love with Monica. Who had confessed his love of her one night when. Chandler would be devastated if he found out that Monica and Joey had slept together. Joey kissed her again to force himself to stop picturing the look that Chandler would wear when he found out about the two of them. He led her into the bathroom and ran the warm water and told her not to worry about it. 

Chandler fixed his tie in the mirror and waited for Joey to return. The door opened and Joey came in with his hair slightly wet and smelling slightly like perfume. A familiar scent, but he couldn't quite trace it. 

"Have a nice night Joe?" Chandler asked smiling at his friend. 

"Oh yeah," Joey said. 

"With Felicity?" Chandler asked. Joey didn't answer just took his tux into the bathroom to get changed. Chandler took that as a yes and didn't push anymore and waited for him to come back out to get the details out of him. Instead, he was the one who did the talking. 

"I should go check up on Monica," Chandler said. 

"What? Why? Why would you do that?" Joey asked.

"Calm down," Chandler told him laughing. "It was just that she was a little depressed last night. I sent her to her room before she could do something that she regretted." Those words sent shivers through Joey and instant guilt. 

"I'm sure she was fine," Joey said and shrugged. "But you can go check on her if it would make you feel better." Chandler didn't have to, because a moment later Monica appeared in the doorway and smiled at both of them. Both friends stood in front of a woman who could possibly break their hearts. A woman who probably would. Joey now understood how Chandler had felt about Kathy. He knew Chandler was in love with her, but he couldn't stop himself from falling for her. All it had taken was a single kiss, and he was done. 

"You guys ready to go?' She asked sweetly. Joey nodded and flashed her a look and smiled at her. Chandler nodded and took her by the shoulders. 

"How are you today Mon?" He asked. 

"I'm fine, I was just a little upset last night," she told him. He nodded. 

"You know how I worry about you," he said laughing. He slipped his arm around her and led her to the elevator. "Come on, let's go see Ross get married." Joey tossed a silent look to her and followed them, his eyes never leaving Chandler's arm draped across her shoulder. 

"I can't believe he did that!" Monica exclaimed walking into the boys' room with them in tow. 

"I know," Chandler said shaking his head. "Rachel? What a time to say a name!"

"I know the only worse time is during sex," Joey said laughing and was silenced by a look from both Chandler and Monica. "Sorry." 

"I'm going to go see if he's okay," Chandler said walking out of the room leaving Monica and Joey alone together. 

"So..." she said wringing her hands together.

"So," he said smiling at her. He leaned forward and kissed her again. A knock on the door interrupted as he sighed in frustration and answered it. Rachel came in and grabbed her best friend's arm as she pulled her away from Joey. 

"Mon, what do you think this means? Should I go talk to him? What now?" What now? That was the question of the day. What happened now with Ross's marriage, what happened now with Monica and Joey? What happened now? What happened now? Joey felt like screaming it across the room at Monica and Rachel who were deep in conversation. What now Mon? What do we do now? What happens to us when we get back? What happens to our friendship? And Chandler? What happens to Chandler? Monica was seemingly oblivious to Joey, which was completely unlike her. But she was rather focused on Rachel and her problems. Chandler came back in and Monica jumped up to find out what happened with Ross and Emily. 

"Emily's gone," he whispered to her and she gasped. 

"Where did she go?" Chandler shrugged. "How's Ross?"

"A mess," Chandler said and Monica trembled and rubbed her temples. "Come here." He gathered her in his arms and rubbed her back .

"Rachel's driving me crazy," Monica said.

"Then listen," Chandler told her. "I'll take care Rachel. Joey? Can you take Monica back to her room?" What is he doing? Joey thought to himself. He's making this so easy on us. Stop that. No, he was taking care of his friends. He was making sure that Monica was okay. He was being a good friend. What am I being? A traitor, so this is why that guy with the eggs did it. He couldn't help himself. He wondered if there was a girl involved with that too. What was his name? He asked Monica on the way to her room.

"What's that traitor during the Revolutionary War's name?" Joey asked rubbing his chin thinking. "You know, the guy with the eggs."

"Benedict Arnold?" Monica asked.

"Yeah him," Joey nodded and snapped his finger at her causing her to giggle. She opened her door and they stepped inside. Once inside they were back in that silence. He kissed her and it didn't take long before her dress was laying on the floor as he pulled off his clothing never taking his eyes off her.

Chandler calmed Rachel down and Phoebe had called and they were off talking as he left the room quietly and was going to try to find Joey and Monica. Monica. She was so beautiful. She looked so good in that bridesmaid dress. He wondered briefly if they could....no, she was his friend and didn't feel that way about her. But it was a different country. Did the same rules apply to London? He wondered and smiled. Monica would laugh if he suggested it and added his theory on London. He neared her door and realized that she had left a key with him, so he didn't have to knock. He raised his arm and pulled the key out of his pocket and placed it in the lock......

~*So what do you think so far? Tell me and I'll write faster. I know, I know, Monica and Joey, but just hold your horses and you'll see, maybe not if you don't review *evil laugh*, seriously tell me what you thought*~


	2. Revelations

Thanks so much for reviewing! And I know, the Rachel/Ross/Joey fics are wearing thin on my nerves. By the way, before you get yourself all in a thither about Joey and Monica, think about who is writing this. Anyway, the title from the fic comes from the song by Chris Issak and here is the next part. 

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, there are you happy now? You made me cry!

Chandler was about to step into the hotel room when he heard his name being called. He let his hand drop to his side and turned around and saw Ross standing there.

"Hey man, how are you doing?"

"Not bad," Ross said in his depressed voice. Chandler sighed and shook his head. 

"I was just going to get Monica," Chandler told him. 

"Can you just come help me apologize to Emily's family once more? I really want a friend there with me," Ross begged. Chandler nodded and let himself be led away by Ross.

Inside the room, Joey and Monica peeked their heads out from under the covers when they heard the key go into the door. Monica hopped up and pulled on a robe and Joey, not knowing what to do, hid under the covers and they waited for what was going to happen next. But nothing happened. The door remained shut, and they remained undressed. Monica sighed and threw her head back and hit it on the headboard. 

"Ow!" She screamed and her hand went instinctively where she had smacked it. Joey ran over and rubbed it for her and kissed it. 

"There," he said as she continued to rub it. "All better." They were mere centimeters apart and he stroked her cheek as he looked into her eyes. 

"Joey?" She asked. "What we're doing? Is it crazy?"

"Probably," he said with a laugh. He hugged her. "Monica, I know that you came to me for meaningless sex, but I want more then that I think. I think that I want a relationship with you." Monica stood astonished at her friend. This was not Joey. This was not her friend that ordered and ate, two pizzas just for himself. This was not the rules. You were not supposed to fall in love with your friends. It hit Monica. The rules had changed. She had changed them. She had knocked on his door looking for sex. She was the one who had done this. Any heart ache that came to either him or her was her fault. No, she decided. In love it was no one's fault. It was a game. He knew this. He had played it how many times? This was not her fault. She had not done this. She had not asked him to feel this way about her. She did not ask him to want more. She had not expected more. That's why she had gone to him and not Chandler. She had been afraid if she went to Chandler she would want more. She couldn't analyze her feelings the previous night because, well, she had had a lot to drink that night. She had just kept downing more drinks. Now look where that had gotten her. She was now attracted to one of her friends and he was attracted to her. And more, she feared, then she was to him. 

"Joey," she said sitting down on the bed. 

"Mon, listen to me," he said taking her hand in his. "You're so sweet, and beautiful, and everything that I want in a woman. Give us a chance. How do you know that it won't work out if you won't even try?" He had a point. He was silently begging her to see that he had a point. 

"Joey..." she said again. 

"Please? Give us a chance?" He looked into her eyes and she gave a slight nod to show that she was willing to give them a chance. He jumped up and hugged her tightly to him.

"I don't want to tell anyone yet," she told him looking into his eyes. 

"Fine," he kissed her.

"I want to see how we do before we tell everyone," she said. Chandler. She wanted to make sure her and Joey were serious before she told Chandler. Why had Chandler's name jumped into her head? Why his name first? Why him? She ran questions through her head unaware that Joey was running questions through his. This was going to break Chandler's heart. Chandler had always had a soft spot when it came to her. Joey knew that what he was doing was wrong. But...oh God, he couldn't help it. But Chandler.....Chandler would be devastated. She chose Joey. She didn't go to see him that night. She went to see Joey. Oh Chandler, they both thought. What will happen to you?

The plane ride back was interesting. Monica had fallen asleep on Joey's shoulder. It was not unusual for her to fall asleep on one of the guys, but it was almost always Chandler. Chandler couldn't help but look over at Joey and Monica with envy. She seemed to be getting closer to Joey and that wasn't fair. She was his best friend, the one who understood him and was his support system. Chandler knew that was ridiculous, Joey was just closer to her and she was tired. So he went back to reading his magazine. 

"Hey Joe?" Chandler asked when he was done reading the magazine. "Want to trade magazines? I'm done with mine." 

"Sure," Joey said handing his over to Chandler. He didn't realize there was a piece of paper sticking out of the side and he didn't remember that was the letter that he had written to Monica. He didn't figure out that Chandler was about to read it. Chandler was flipping through when a piece of paper fell out into his lap and he picked it up. It was a letter. To Monica. From Joey. He glanced over at the duo to see Joey watching her sleep. Something that he had never seen his womanizing friend do before. So that was it. She was with Joey, his best friend. The woman he had loved from afar was now with his best friend. Chandler would have to stand on the side and watch her be happy with someone else. And not just someone else, Joey. He felt like crying, and he never cried. Not since his parents got divorced. That was the last time he cried, but he felt like crying now. He slipped the letter onto the floor and handed the magazine back to Joey. 

"Joe," he said. "Something fell out of your magazine." He pointed to the floor where Joey opened his eyes wide and grabbed it. Chandler had to look away and saw Joey glance nervously at him.

"Thanks," he said. 

"You're welcome," Chandler told him and Joey believed that Chandler hadn't seen the letter and went back to his blissful ignorance. Chandler, however, wished to be still ignorant. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him, while this was killing him. The rest of the plane ride was spent in silence. Each person thinking about the others and hoping that everything turned out okay.

Monica sat in her apartment alone and finally had some time to think about her and Joey. Something that she was, as much as she didn't want to admit it, slightly frightened about. He had broken so many hearts in the past and she didn't want to become a casualty on that list. So many things to consider and so much to think about when it came to the two of them. And then there was Chandler, although she didn't know why. She just had a feeling that he would be upset about her and Joey. But why? She didn't know, after all they were just friends. There was a time when Monica had thought that she wanted to be more, but she figured it was just a lonely period in her life and she was getting desperate. But that was what she had done that night in London. She had gotten desperate. That still didn't answer why she kept thinking about Chandler. Why? The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She had feelings for him. But Joey...she had feelings for Joey too. 

"What am I doing?" She asked out loud. "I'm going to end up hurting one of them, or both of them." She felt lost. Monica's phone rang and she let the answering machine get it as she didn't want to talk to anyone right then. The door opened a minute later and Chandler, holding a phone in his hand walked in.

"You okay?" He asked. She nodded numbly. "What's wrong Mon?"

"Nothing," she mumbled and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Something has to be the matter, what is it?" He persisted.

"Nothing important, can you just hold me a little longer?" She asked looking into his eyes.

"For you, my best friend, anything." She smiled and let his comfortable embrace take her over. 

"Thanks," she whispered. 

Joey glanced down at Monica who was in his arms. 

"Joey?" He didn't know that she was awake. 

"Hey you," he said kissing her forehead. 

"Joey? I need to talk to you," she sat up and looked at him nervously. 

"What's the matter Mon?"

"I don't know about us," she told him honestly. "I'm terrified." 

"I am too," Joey admitted. "But I'm crazy about you."

"But..."

"No buts Mon," Joey told her. "Now just go to sleep." But Monica couldn't. She really needed to talk to him. Express her feelings. The thing was of course, that Joey wasn't ever the one that she went to with her feelings. That was Chandler. He would have let her talk. She found herself blaming Joey. It's not his fault, she thought. I shouldn't blame him. But I need to talk to him, tell him what I think, and how I feel about the two of us together . Joey, however, under the assumption that Monica was asleep again, had fallen asleep himself leaving Monica alone to contemplate in the dark. She had always hated that time when you couldn't fall asleep at night and the thoughts ran through your head. That was when you couldn't escape what you were thinking, and you had to come face to face with yourself. Why did Monica feel like she was doing something wrong? Why did something not feel right about her and Joey? She wanted to tell him about this, that she didn't know if they were doing the right thing. She wanted him to reassure her that they were. But he was asleep and she felt utterly alone. In a bed with her new boyfriend and she felt more alone then she had in a long time. Two months. They had been together for two months, sneaking around and hiding their relationship from everyone including Chandler. Especially Chandler. For two months, Monica had had doubts, she was attracted to Joey, but she didn't think that she was in love with him. The question was would she ever be in love with him? If the answer was no, she knew what she had to do, and if it was yes, then she also was certain of what she had to do. The hard part was figuring out the answer. 

Chandler heard her sneak in. He heard her giggle and climb into bed with Joey as they had been doing for the past two months. Switching apartments and rooms, having a tryst. He walked out into the living room to grab a glass of water, but before he got into the moonlit room, he noticed a figure hunched over the counter sobbing. He knew it was Monica, but he wanted to know why she was crying. He saw that she was dressed and she had a piece of paper and she was scribbling something quickly on it. She slipped back into Joey's room and then came back out, not noticing Chandler in the shadows. She took one glance back at the now-closed door and left the apartment. Chandler sighed and stepped out and waited for a few minutes and then knocked on Joey's door. Joey woke up and looked around surprised. Monica was gone and there was an envelope laying on the pillow where she had been. He tore it open forgetting about what had woken him up in the first place and pulled out a letter. He skimmed it and his mouth dropped open and he ran out into the living room. He found Chandler sitting on the chair and he turned to him.

"What'cha got Joey?" Chandler asked.

"A letter," Joey replied. 

"From who?" Chandler asked.

"Monica."

"What does it say?" Not why was Monica writing you a letter, but what did it say. He knew, it dawned on Joey. For not being very bright, he caught on to some things very quickly. It dawned on Joey that Chandler knew. He knew about him and Monica, he probably had known all along. He glanced back down at the letter and looked at his best friend.

"What does it say?" Chandler repeated the question and waited for the answer. 

~* I decided to wait until the next part to use the song. Please tell me what you thought! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!~*


	3. Somebody's Crying

~*Hello! I hope that everyone is having a fantabulous day! I am, because there is no school and I spent all yesterday skiing! Anyway, here is the next part and thanks for reviewing, please keep doing it!*~

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on Friends, please don't sue me because all you'd get would be....a ski lift ticket and "Pride and Prejudice"...digs around, and a five. A five! This must be my brother's sweatshirt. 

"It says," Joey said looking down at the letter. "She's breaking up with me." 

"What?" Chandler asked. He noticed that Joey didn't explain why she was breaking up with him, and so he figured that Joey knew that he knew. Joey sank to a chair and reread the letter. 

"She said that she can't do this right now and she needs some time to think," Joey said. 

"What do you mean she needs time to think? What does that mean?" Chandler demanded. Joey shrugged again and just tossed the letter onto the ground and Chandler picked it up and read it himself. Her neat writing was scribbled across the page. 

"Dear Joey, I can't do this right now. I can't be in a relationship with you, because I don't know what I want, and it's not fair to you or me if I stay. I need some time to think and figure out what I want. I'm so sorry, I never wanted to hurt you in any way. I didn't think....never mind, it really doesn't matter anymore. Love, Monica." Chandler sat in the other chair and looked at the paper in his hands. Poor Joey. What didn't she think? What was she talking about? He needed to talk to her. He left Joey, who barely even noticed that he had left the room and walked quietly to the girls' apartment. He opened the door silently and snuck over to her bedroom door. The first sound that he heard was sobbing. He gently opened it and she looked up startled.

"Chandler?" She asked. He nodded and took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth. "Does he hate me?"

"No, sweetie, he doesn't hate you, he's just upset," Chandler whispered in her ear. Then his eyes landed on an open suitcase on her bed. Clothes were scattered over the bed and he let go of her as he picked up a shirt.

"Chandler..." she began.

"Where are you going?"

"I thought it would be better if I left for awhile," she told him biting her lip.

"No," he shook his head.

"No?"

"No, you can't leave," he took her hand and sat her down. 

"But everyone is going to hate me for what I did!"

"What did you do?" She was silent. "You were drunk, you wanted meaningless sex, you went to your friend Joey, because part of you wished that he would say no."

"How did you..." her voice trailed off. "I guess part of me did hope that by going to Joey he would tell me that he didn't want to risk our friendship and he would get you and you guys would put me to bed and I wouldn't do anything that I regretted." She searched his face for a reaction. How had he known that that was part of her reasoning to go to Joey.

"He didn't, you slept together, and though you were attracted to him, you were not in love, and you didn't realize that he was. It is not your fault that he fell in love Monica. You did nothing wrong. And neither did he. Just as its not your fault, its not his fault that he fell in love either. It just happened that way."

"I just, I never wanted to hurt him."

"I know. And he knows that too." She began to sob again and he took her in his arms again and hugged her tightly. 

"Oh Chandler," she cried. "What have I done?" They cleaned up her clothes and he tucked her into bed kissing her forehead and covering her up. He shut off the light and closed the door behind him, but could still hear her crying softly to herself. He walked across the hall again to his apartment and could hear crying from Joey's room as well, and as he went to bed, tears rolled down his face. Joey wasn't the only one in love with her. 

__

I know somebody

and they cry for you

they lie awake at night and dream of you

I bet you never even know they do

but somebody's crying

The next morning Monica woke up with a headache. Her eyes were swollen from crying and she had fallen asleep on her arm so it hurt too. She got up and threw on a sweatshirt and walked out into the living room. Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe were all eating breakfast when she hurried past into the bathroom. She shut the door quickly and leaned up against it. She threw water onto her face and pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail as she got control of herself. She finally opened the door and emerged into the living room.

"Morning Mon," Rachel said. "Sleep in late?" She nodded numbly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. 

"Rachel and I are going shopping, want to come?" Phoebe asked. Monica gave a short shake of her head. She had big plans for the day and all them involved pajamas and her bed. 

"Suit yourself," Rachel said shrugging. "Come on Pheebs, ready to go?" Phoebe nodded and they left the apartment. 

"I better go," Ross told her. "I have Ben for the weekend." She nodded and he gave her a kiss on the cheek as he left too. The silence was overwhelming after they had left. She rubbed her temples and poured herself another cup of coffee when the door flew open and Joey came in.

"Mon," he said quietly and she stood up.

"Joe," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," he whispered. She began to cry, she sat down and cried her heart out, she was truly sorry. She had never meant to hurt him and she realized that was exactly what she had done. He hated to see her cry. His heart was broken, and he was mad at her, but when she began to cry, that all left and all that was important was to make her feel better. He gathered her in his arms and told her that it was okay.

"I'm sorry," she wailed.

"I know, shush, I know, it'll be okay," he told her hugging her to him. He had memorized the smell of her hair and took a deep breath as he held her in his arms for what he feared would be the last time. He knew what she had meant. They weren't right for each other. 

"Monica?" He spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"You were right," he said. "We jumped into this way too fast."

"Joey.."

"No, just listen, you were right. We were caught up in the moment. A romantic city, a wedding, lots of alcohol, and we made a mistake. Once we were back to New York, we realized our mistake. We couldn't make it work at home. We tried. I guess I knew it too, but I didn't want to say anything."

"That makes me the bitch though," she told him tearfully.

"No, that makes you brave," he told her firmly. "Listen, you are one of my very best friends still and I love you to death. I guess I got friendship feelings mixed up with romantic ones. That was not your fault."

"So you love me, but you aren't in love with me?"

"Right."

"I feel the same way." She let him kiss her on the forehead as they embraced a little longer.

"Hey, Chandler's really worried about you," he told her. "Why don't you go over there and see him and tell him that you're okay." She wiped her eyes and nodded. "No one except the three of us have to ever know about this." She nodded once more and then gave him one final hug.

"Oh Joey, you are going to make some woman so very happy," she said. 

"I know," he said smiling. "Its just a shame that its not you." She nodded and gave him a smile as she left the apartment. And he was hit with guilt. He had lied. He knew that they wouldn't work ,he knew that, but it wasn't because he wasn't in love with her. He was, it was because she was in love with someone else and she didn't even see it yet. And that person was in love with her and if Joey had to step back and let him have her, then that's what he would do. 

__

I know somebody

and they call your name

a million times but still you never came

they go on loving you just the same

I know that somebody's trying

Monica found Chandler throwing a ball against the wall when she walked in.

"Hey," she said softly. He looked up. 

"Hey," he returned and stood up and took her into his arms. "How are you?"

"Okay. Joey and I talked."

"I figured that's where he was going," Chandler said letting go. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Or we will be eventually."

"Good," he told her taking her hand in his.

"Chandler?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know that I had hoped that Joey wouldn't go through with it in London?"

"I know you," he told her. Monica nodded. She turned to leave and then spun around again.

"It's more then that though, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to answer me truthfully," she told him. "Do you...or did you....have you...ever had feelings for me?" He was taken aback.

"I...I....I don't know," he stuttered. 

"I asked you to be truthful," she said. 

"I know, and Monica, no, I've never had more than friendship feelings for you," he lied. She eyed him.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he lied again. "No feelings. None." He gave her a forced smile and she gave a small smile back.

"Okay, then," she said and left the apartment and Chandler wanted to scream. Why did he lie? Why didn't he tell her? Why didn't he say, Monica, I've been in love with you from the time you moved in across from me? That I can't sleep without thinking about you? That every girlfriend that I've ever had was compared to you and had to listen to me talk about you? She ran across to her apartment and found that Joey had left and Rachel was still out shopping. So she made herself a bowl of ice cream and put in _Sleepless in Seattle._

"Meg," she instructed the television. "Make me feel better." By the end of the movie, the door opened and Chandler and Joey both walked in. They found Monica on the couch with a box of tissues in her hands and crying at the movie.

"What are you doing?" Chandler asked. 

"I was watching Meg and Tom," she said wiping her eyes. She stood up and noticed that it was just the three of them in the room together.

"What did you guys want?" She asked.

"We were looking for Ross," Joey answered never removing his eyes from her. 

"He has Ben this weekend," Monica reminded them.

"Oh that's right!" Chandler said. "What are you doing tonight?" She held up a videocassette.

"_Pretty Woman _or the _Cutting Edge_," she replied and he smiled at her.

"Good solid chick flicks," Chandler commented. She nodded, but her eyes never strayed from Joey's face. They sat staring at each other for awhile before Chandler cleared his throat and they looked at him guiltily.

"Do you want to come out with us?" Chandler asked her.

"Um, sure," she stood up. "Julia and Richard can wait another night. Let me change." She ran off to her room and Chandler turned to his best friend.

"How you holding up?"

"I'm still standing," Joey replied.

"That's the first step." Monica reappeared and the conversation was dropped as the three left the apartment and hailed a cab. The tension was unbearable in the cab, and all three wished that they had stayed home. Monica shifted uncomfortably between the two and wished on top of wanting to be home, that she had picked the window seat. When they had finally pulled up to the restaurant, they practically jumped out of the cab. They were led to a table and sat down. 

"Phoebe's meeting us here," Joey said. Monica and Chandler both let out sighs of relief and then looked at each other.

"Come on," Monica finally spoke up. "We need to talk sometime."

"I was fine eating my breadsticks," Joey said. 

"Me too," Chandler added.

"Fine," she huffed and sat back in her seat. "You know what? I'm not very hungry, I'll just grab a cab home." With that she grabbed her coat and wandered out of the restaurant and hailed a cab. 

__

So please, return the love that you took from me

or please you let me know if it can't be me

I know when somebody's lying

I know when somebody's lying

I know that somebody's lying

I know that somebody's lying

Joey didn't hear from her for awhile. When he came into the room, she would leave, and it became uncomfortable when they were together. Exactly what they had hoped wouldn't happen had. Chandler watched from a distance as the friends grew apart and didn't say anything. He was still trying to figure out how to tell Monica that he was madly, deeply in love with her. He had told her, after all, that he was not in love with her, and that was of course, a huge lie, but at the time, it had seemed like the best possible answer. He wanted to know what she thought about him, and it wasn't the best time to ask as she was still getting over Joey. Joey had moved out of the sweatpants stage, which he had regressed to after Monica had stormed out of the restaurant, and now was watching porn again. A sure sign that Joey was getting back to being...well, Joey. 

"Chandler?" Monica knocked on the door. "Is he?"

"No," Chandler shook his head. "He's not here."

"We were going so well too," she moaned.

"I know," Chandler told her. 

"What happened? We were being friends again, it was all good, and then we returned to the not talking, not looking at each other in the eye place we were in before."

"Come here," he hugged her close to him. How do I tell you that I can't stop thinking about you? That I have dreams where we're married and have kids? What do I say to make this known to you? What will you say if I do? Monica's eyes searched Chandler's face as he was lost deep in thought.

"Something the matter?"

"No."

"Sure?" Was this his chance?

"Positive," he lied. How easy it was to lie. Just a few words and then he was off the hook. She believed him. What gave her the idea not to? He had never lied to her before. But he had, he did every day. But he couldn't tell her. Not yet anyway. 

__

Give me a sign and let me know we're through

if you don't love me like I love you

but if you cry at night like the way I do

So please, return the love that you took from me

or please you let me know if it can't be me

Monica woke up and decided to run some errands. She wrote a quick note for Rachel and left the apartment. Later that night, everyone was sitting around the kitchen table.

"Hey Rach? Where's Mon?" Phoebe asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I haven't seen her all day," Rachel said. "She left a note this morning saying that she was going to be running some errands, but she never came back. Or else she came and left again." Chandler was worried. It wasn't like Monica not to call. 

"Do you think she's okay?"

"She's fine," Ross said. "She probably came and left again. Rachel wasn't here all day."

"That's true," Joey said but he shared a look with Chandler. 

"I'm sure she's fine," Chandler repeated to himself. The phone rang. 

"That's probably her telling us where she is," Rachel said reaching over for the phone. "Hello?" They all waited for her to tell them who was on the other end of the line. 

__

I know when somebody's lying

I know when somebody's lying

I know that somebody's lying

I know that somebody's lying

~* This is where I'm going to leave you in suspense! Please review or I'll make something terrible happen to Monica (I didn't really have anything bad in mind, but now I might if I don't get reviews), I'm just that sick and twisted. REVIEW!*~__


	4. This is War

~* Thanks for reviewing! Please keep it up! Okay, this is going to pick up where the other one left off. *~

Disclaimer: Yes I own them, they're all mine! Mine, I tell you! All right, so I don't own them, someone else does. 

Chandler could hardly stand it. 

"Who is it?" He asked.

"It's the hospital," Rachel whispered. She was listening to the man on the other end and nodding. She jotted something on a piece of paper. She held up her hand to stop the questions and then hung up the phone. 

"Oh my God, is Monica okay?" Phoebe asked. 

"They said that they'll tell us when we get down there," Rachel told them grabbing her coat.

"What happened?" Chandler screamed.

"Car accident," Rachel was halfway out the door by now. Chandler had the entire cab ride, which was extended by the amount of traffic, to think of all the possible things that could be wrong with her. She could be...oh God, she could be dead. He couldn't even imagine not seeing her everyday. If she died, what would they do? How would the five of them survive? He yelled at the cab driver.

"Can't you go any faster?"

"Sorry," the man shrugged. "Going as fast as I can." Chandler slumped against the seat. Rachel grabbed his hand. They were in one cab and the other three were in the one behind them. 

"She's probably fine," she assured him. 

"Yeah," Chandler said closing his eyes. He never told her. He never told her how much he loved her. He didn't tell her that he had a list of the top five things he loved about her, but that there was so much more that he had a hard time deciding what to include in the list. Her laugh, her smile, her cooking, the way that she smelled, and how good and kind she was. He never told her. Why hadn't he told her? Why had he kept that to himself? It seemed like eternity before they pulled up and Rachel and Chandler hurried out of the cab and into the emergency room. 

"Monica, Monica Geller?" Chandler shouted at the receptionist.

"Please take a seat over there," she said. Chandler couldn't see how this woman was asking him to take a seat when Monica was in there. 

"I can't! Please tell me what happened to her!" Chandler yelled. A doctor appeared. 

"Are you here for Ms. Geller?" Chandler and Rachel nodded and ran over to him.

"Is she okay?" Rachel asked. The doctor smiled. Smiling was a good sign, Chandler thought.

"She's going to be just fine," he told them and they breathed a sigh of relief. "She broke her arm and she has a concussion, and we want her to stay tonight to be on the safe side, because she did hit her head pretty hard, but she'll be just fine. You want to see her?" Both nodded.

"One of us should stay here and wait for the others," Rachel pointed out. Chandler looked pained at the thought of not seeing her, and so Rachel smiled. "You go, I'll stay here and wait." Chandler flashed a grateful smile and ran back with the doctor. (AN: Did you really think I was going to let anything bad happen to her?) She was laying in the bed sleeping so peacefully. Her arm was already in a cast and she had a bandage on her head. Her eyes opened and she smiled at him.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Are you okay?" He asked taking her hand and sitting next to her. She nodded slightly.

"I feel like I've had one too many margaritas," she said and he laughed slightly not letting go of her hand. 

"Monica," he started. He had summoned up the courage to say something and if she interrupted then he would lose it and then he wouldn't be able to get through it. She knew him well enough to know that this was the case and remained quiet as she listened to what he had to say. "You asked me the other day if I ever had..." he was interrupted when the hospital room door flew open and their friends filed and hugged her. He noticed that Joey's hug lingered a little longer then the rest, but he didn't say anything just watched her face intently. He squeezed her hand and mouthed, "we'll talk later." She nodded, and he knew that she understood. 

Chandler walked into her room later that night with a cup of coffee in his hand. He didn't know how it happened, but he was the one who was left to stay with her through the night. He had known the all the others wanted to be the one by her side, but somehow he had gotten the honor. He sat in the chair next to the bed and watched her rhythmic breathing. Her eyelids fluttered open and she glanced up at Chandler.

"You should be asleep," he whispered and she smiled.

"Chandler?"

"Hmm?" He took a sip of the coffee in his hand. 

"What were you going to say to me before?" She hadn't forgotten. Chandler knew that she wouldn't. She had the memory of an elephant. He was about to lie, to make up some excuse about not remembering, that it wasn't important, and then he remembered what it had felt like to imagine that he would never get to say he loved her. Car accidents had a weird way of putting everything into prospective. 

"The other night," he said. "You asked if I had ever had feelings for you. I lied."

"What do you mean?" She looked perplexed.

"I lied. I told you no, and that was a lie. I loved you then, and I still love you now." She looked taken back, but Chandler could see, that she wasn't appalled. That was good. He most certainly didn't want to her to be appalled at the idea of him loving her. 

"That's what I thought," she whispered and smiled at him. "Chandler? The reason I broke up with Joey was that...that...I think I'm in love with you." There. She had said it. That was the first step. She had admitted that she was, in fact, in love with him. That was good. She could now handle everything else. 

"Really?" His voice squeaked. He felt like he was back in high school and a girl had just told him that she had a crush on him. Although, that analogy didn't really work, because he had attended an all boys school and for one of his classmates to tell him that they had a crush on him would require a major lifestyle change. Why did he do that? Why did his mind race with random topics when he was nervous? This is why he always said the wrong thing. 

"Really," she sighed. She then yawned. 

"Mon? As much as I would love to continue this, and I would, because I've dreamt of this forever, but you really need to get to sleep." She was fighting sleep and she had wanted this moment to last, but saw that he was right. So she drifted back off to sleep leaving Chandler with the conversation swirling around in his head. He felt like it had been a dream. She was a dream. He watched her sleep a little longer before drifting off himself. 

Their friends arrived with a cab the next day to take Monica home. She was going to take some time off work so that her arm could heal, and they were going to take turns helping her out with things. Rachel had even agreed to do laundry, which shocked everyone, especially Monica.

"Who says I can't be of any help?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, you're help when it comes to deciding what dress to wear, but when it comes to housework...well, you kind of suck," Monica told her. Rachel put her hands on her hips and tried to come up with a comeback, but she just sighed.

"Fine," she said. "You're probably right anyway." The other five laughed. 

"Monica, you should go rest," Joey told her leading her to the bedroom. To everyone's surprise, she didn't put up a fuss, she just nodded and went to bed. 

"Well children," Chandler said. "Who wants Monica duty first?"

"I will," Joey spoke up and Chandler looked at him with surprise. "You guys have work. I'll take care of her." Chandler watched him with an amused expression. Rachel and Ross and Phoebe agreed and walked out of the apartment to do what they had to do leaving Chandler and Joey in the room together.

"You're with her aren't you?" Joey said to Chandler.

"I admitted that I loved her, yes," Chandler said. 

"The accident made you want to fight for her right?" Joey said.

"Well, yes it did," Chandler said wondering where this was going.

"It made me want to fight for her too," Joey said. "I love her too." Chandler was shocked. He was sure that, although Joey had feelings for her, that he was going to back away and let Chandler have her.

"She told me that she loved me Joe," Chandler told him. Joey was still his best friend and he didn't want him to get hurt. 

"Chandler," Joey said exasperated. "I love her, you love her. Let her decide who she wants. If she does love you, I want to hear it from her mouth."

"Joe..."

"No, Chandler, I will fight for her," Joey said. And Chandler understood. He had to choose between his love for Monica and his best friend. While it was a difficult decision, Monica came first. She would always come first. There was no way that their friendship could survive. If Chandler won Monica, then Joey would be heartbroken, and wouldn't want to be around the happy couple. And if Joey won, then Chandler would want to leave as well. There was more then just Monica at stake. The rest of their friends would follow Monica and whoever she chose. This was the last chance for either one to be the bigger man and let his friend have the girl. But that wasn't going to happen. This wasn't just any girl. This was Monica. And this was war. 

*~I know this chapter was kind of short, but I'm working on the next one, so please REVIEW and tell me what you thought!*~


	5. And in the end

~* Thanks so much for reviewing! Continue, merci. It picks up where the last chapter left off*~

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters on the television show Friends

The first week after the gauntlet had been thrown down consisted of both men trying to do everything for Monica, trying to outdo the other one. Monica was completely clueless to what was happening. She had made up her mind, and she had chosen Chandler. But she didn't know that she had made up her mind, or that she had even had a choice. She figured Joey was just trying to be a good friend. It seems that when someone is in love with you, everyone else can see it except you. No matter how smart, or insightful you are, you don't notice when someone is infatuated with you. It seems to go right over your head, and this was the case with Monica. 

"Thanks Joe," she said smiling when he handed her book. She didn't notice both Chandler and Joey diving for it when she had asked for someone to hand it to her. 

"Your welcome," he said and grinned at Chandler. Chandler, though he knew that Monica was equally in love with him as he was with her, was still jealous at the thought of someone trying to win her love. So he was putting up a good fight. He didn't just want to win, he wanted to win by a landslide. Win. This had become a game and Monica was the prize. She would have killed them both if she had known, but as she was blissfully ignorant, their little war could continue. Chandler slumped back into the chair angry that Joey had gotten to the book first. It really wasn't fair, because Joey had elbowed him in the face and therefore Chandler hadn't really had a fair chance. He was stewing over this when Monica turned around and smiled at him. He felt as if he had won a million dollars and turned to make sure that Joey had seen the smile that Monica had given him. He surely had and got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Monica? Want something to drink?" 

"Oh, no thanks, Joe," she said sweetly. She leaned forward to whisper something to Chandler. "Can we talk?" He nodded fervently. Joey's eyes shot daggers into Chandler as the two of them got up and walked into her bedroom for privacy. Chandler smiled to himself. Chandler one, he thought, Joey zero. Once the door had been shut Monica kissed him. 

"We never get any privacy," she complained. "I mean it's really nice of our friends to help me out, but all I want is you." Chandler wanted to shout. He wanted to pull Joey in. Did you hear that? All she wants is me! Me! Chandler Muriel Bing! Not you! 

"You're all I want too," he whispered into her hair as he kissed her neck.

"As soon as this arm heals," she told him. "I plan on fully intend to fulfill that wish." She kissed him once more. "We should go back out there." Chandler made a face which she kissed and then walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where Joey was waiting. If looks could kill, Chandler would have been dead and buried. Technically Chandler had won. Monica wanted to be with him, but the battle would not be over until their relationship was announced. Until that time, Joey would continue to struggle for her. Step one had been completed, now came step two. He had to tell her how he felt. 

Joey finally found Monica alone a week later. She was reading a book on the couch under a blanket. Her broken arm was resting on the back of the couch. 

"Monica?" His voice broke the silence and she glanced up.

"Oh hey Joe," she said and smiled as she set the book down on the table.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure," she said and moved her feet so that he could sit down. He took his cue and sat next to her.

"Monica? I know that you have had feelings developed for Chandler lately, but I..." he trailed off.

"You what?" She asked thoroughly confused. 

"I just wanted to let you know, that I...I still love you, and I want you," he admitted. She was shocked and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Joey...I..."

"Please," he said. "You have a choice now. Between me or Chandler. Don't decide yet. Think it over." He kissed her and walked out. She was speechless as he left the apartment. When he was closing the door behind him, Chandler was descending the staircase. 

"Hello," Chandler said. The two had avoided each other at every possible opportunity. That was rather difficult as they were roommates, but Joey would wait until Chandler was gone before emerging from his room. Chandler had been staying at Monica's, but Joey didn't know this. They had yet to sleep together, he just liked holding her in his arms. 

"I was just talking to Monica," Joey said. He could see the jealousy register on Chandler's face. Joey knew that he had lost. He had actually known all along, but he wanted to be able to say that he did everything that he could to get her. That he wouldn't have what ifs hanging over his head the rest of his life. 

"What about?" Chandler asked. 

"I told her that she had a choice. Between you and me." 

"What did she say?" There was an edge of fear in his voice. Joey could hear it, he had known his friend long enough to hear it. 

"She didn't say anything," Joey said. "I told her to take her time." Chandler nodded and Joey excused himself and went into their apartment, knowing full well where Chandler was headed. And it was not their apartment. It was Monica's. Chandler opened the door and stepped inside.

"Monica?" She looked up. Tear marks ran down her face and he knew that she had been crying. He wondered why, but then knew. She had never meant to hurt Joey. She thought that he had gotten over it. 

"Oh Mon," he said and she got up and he took her into his arms and held her. 

"I didn't ever mean...this is all my fault...I was drunk...and I...oh Chandler!" He shushed her and stroked her hair. 

"It'll be okay."

"What do I say to him?"

"I don't know," Chandler answered honestly. And he didn't. And he didn't want to lose Joey's friendship, and he didn't know what to say to him either. This whole thing had gotten way out of hand. Seeing Monica crying over it just reconfirmed that. He had never meant to hurt Joey either, and Monica certainly hadn't. This had to end. Right then and there. Chandler would go talk to Joey right then. He grabbed Monica's hand and squeezed it. 

"Let's go talk to him and end this," he whispered. She nodded and followed him out of the apartment, not letting go of his hand for a second. They found Joey in his chair staring at a picture. Chandler cleared his throat and glanced up. Monica began to cry and Joey felt horrible.

"Monica, before you say anything," he said. "I want you to know that this isn't your fault. None of it was your fault. You didn't do anything." She nodded tearfully, letting the tears flow down her face freely not making any attempt to stop them or wipe them from her face. 

"Joe," Chandler said. "The three of us need to talk." 

"Yeah," he said throwing a ball against the wall. Chandler led Monica to the chair opposite Joey and sat her down. Then he grabbed a third chair and waited for someone to start.

"Joey," it was Monica who opted to get her part out of the way first. 

"I know, you chose Chandler," Joey said bitterness dripping off his voice at the mention of Chandler's name.

"Joey... I didn't want to chose anyone. I didn't even know I had a choice," she sobbed. "But I love him. And he loves me. And that's enough." 

"I love you too," Joey said. 

"I know. But I told you. I love you, but I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Chandler," she said and took Joey's hand. "But I want to be your friend. I want you to know that if you ever need anything, that I am here for you." Chandler rubbed his hand on her back as she kissed Joey's cheek and then figured it was his turn to talk.

"Joe, I don't want this to ruin our friendship," he started.

"Too little, too late," Joey said. 

"What did I do?" Chandler yelled jumping up and causing the seat to knock to the floor. "I fell in love! Just like you! But oh, poor Joey's the victim! You were the one who slept with her even though you knew that your best friend was in love with her! She was drunk and depressed! She came to you because she thought that you would take care of her, instead you saw it as your chance, and I don't blame you, if it would have been me, I would have slept with her too, but don't blame me either. You told her that it was okay, that she could move on with her life and then turned around and said that you still wanted to be with her. She had moved on Joe."

"Yeah to you!" Joey jumped up on this one. 

"So? If she had turned to Richard? Or Pete? Would it have been different?"

"Yes!"

"How?"

"I would have had a chance!" That stopped everything. Even the busy New York streets seemed to have stopped. 

"What?" Chandler asked. 

"You heard me, I knew that if she went to you, that was it. There was no way that she would ever look my way again, and I thought that I could live with that, but when we were all afraid that we would lose her, I realized that if I didn't at least put up a fight then all my life I would wonder if something could have happened. As stupid as that was, I wanted to be sure that she was with the person who loved her the most and she loved the most. And if she's with you and you deserve her, then this is where I give up. This is where it ends." Monica was still crying, curled up on her chair. The two men were standing across from each other each fighting desperately for the woman that they loved. And one had won, and the other had lost and now came the consequences. 

"What happens to us now?" Chandler asked Joey. He had won the girl, and so the fate of their friendship rested in Joey's hands. 

"I don't know," Joey said. "At least for now, I can't see you two together. I want Monica to be happy, but I don't want to see it, if its not me. So I think that I'll take up my acting coach's advice and head out to LA with him." 

"Joey, no," Monica said. "Running away doesn't solve anything." She shared a look with Chandler, remembering that he had said that same exact thing to her when she had wanted to leave right after she had broken up with Joey.

"I have to, Mon," he said. "Maybe, who knows, I'll meet a girl out there and I'll forget all about you. Though, I don't think I could ever forget about you." He gave a small smile.

"Joe," Chandler said. 

"I want to be your friend still," Joey told him. "Things will never be the same, but we all knew that going into this." 

"What are we going to tell the others?" Monica asked.

"Tell them that you two are together and we'll tell them that I'm going to pursue acting in California. Leave us," he pointed to himself and Monica. "out of this." She nodded. 

"Oh Joey," she whispered hugging him fiercely. "You take care of yourself out there."

"You too, Mon, and if he ever does anything to not deserve you, remember that I'll always wait for you," he told her hugging her back. 

"I wouldn't want you to," she told him wiping her tears and backing away so that Chandler and Joey could have their goodbyes.

"Thanks for five great years," Chandler said hugging him.

"You too, and take care of her. She's special," they both laughed at the understatement. She was so much more then special, to them anyways. Monica hadn't been paying attention and asked what was so funny, but in truth she was just happy to see them laughing again. 

Joey left a week later, and Monica and Chandler told everyone that they were together. The other three briefly wondered if one thing had to do with the other, but as they thought the idea preposterous, it was only fleeting. A month later, Chandler moved in with Monica and Rachel and Phoebe moved into the boys' old apartment. 

"Things are finally settled," Monica whispered as she and Chandler laid in bed that night. 

"It's nice isn't it?" He asked kissing her forehead. 

"Yep," she smiled and ran her hand over his chest. She hated to break the peace, but she had news that she had to share with him. "Chandler?" 

"Hmm?" He was stroking her hair.

"I'm pregnant," she said and waited for the answer. To her surprise he laughed. 

"We just can't get any peace around here can we?" 

"Are you angry?"

"No, Mon, I'm thrilled," he leaned over and kissed her. "It's a nice ending to all of this. Turns out you were a package deal." And he pulled out the box that he had hidden under his bed and opened it and in the moonlight the ring glittered. 

"Chandler," she breathed. 

"Will you marry me?" 

"Of course," she kissed him and laid in his arms admiring the ring. For them, everything had come together, they had come together, and for a brief moment they forgot about the man who had almost won across the country crying for Monica. The roles were reversed between Chandler and Joey, but they would never change back. 

*~ Did that ending suck? Should I write an epilogue? I was thinking about it, but tell me what you thought, and maybe I will!*~


	6. Grow up and Move On

~* I decided to write an epilogue. For one reason, I'm stuck home. I was supposed to go out tonight, but I lost my voice and I have a sore throat (partly my fault from yelling the words to "Jack and Diane" last night trying to beat my friend Steve, but we're not going to mention that). So instead of the movies, I am staying at home and writing this. *~

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters on the television show Friends

"Guess what?" Rachel came into the Bing house and yelled to her best friend. Monica appeared in the hallway.

"Hey Rachel," she said smiling.

"I said guess what?"

"What?"

"Joey's coming for a visit!" Rachel said and did a little dance. Monica smiled and was torn between being happy to see her old friend again or being anxious to see her old boyfriend again. 

"When?" Monica asked. What she wanted to ask was how long do I have to prepare for his coming? 

"Two weeks," Rachel said and she took off her coat and followed Monica into the kitchen. Chandler and Monica had been married for two years and they had had a daughter named Caitlin who was now twenty months. Chandler was sitting at the table trying to feed Caitlin who was in her highchair.

"Hey Catie!" Rachel said.

"Rae," Caitlin said. That was Rachel's name. Rachel gave the little girl a kiss on the cheek.

"What brings you here Rachel?" Chandler asked. Monica shifted her weight, this gesture of being uncomfortable did not go unnoticed by her husband. He raised an eyebrow.

"Joey's coming to visit!" Rachel squealed. 

"That's...good," Chandler said. So that's why she was uncomfortable. Joey's leaving had been awkward for the two of them, because they knew that it was not because of some great opportunity in Los Angeles, but rather because of a certain girl in New York. They had talked to him a few times, to tell him that they had gotten married, that they had had a girl, but all the times they had called there was still an space between the three. Something that had never been there before and would be there forevermore. So it was no mystery why Monica and Chandler were hesitant about him coming. He was the one who could have kept them apart, if Monica hadn't...it was in the past now, and that's where the two would have liked to keep it forever. But Joey coming, Joey coming brought it back to light. Chandler wanted to repair his friendship with him, but he couldn't help but wonder what was left to repair. What they had was no longer and what happened now was all up to fate. They had fought, and Joey had lost, not even receiving a consolation prize. Chandler now had a wife and a daughter, and Joey had nothing. But they had known this from the beginning. They had known whoever lost her would lose big time. And not just because she was Monica, but because of all the bonuses that she came with. Their friends, New York, and, they had not known it then, a daughter. 

"Yes," Monica said. "It is good. Where is he staying?" This time Rachel shifted her weight.

"We were thinking and hoping because you guys have the most room, he could stay here," she proposed causing both husband and wife to share a glance. Now what would they do? If they said no they would have to come up with a plausible explanation to why they didn't want him staying in their house, and if they said yes then they would have to have him in their house. They wanted to repair the friendship, yes, but that was going a step too far. 

"And Joey's okay with this?" Monica asked trying to keep her voice calm and steady and not to alert Rachel to any suspicions that Monica may not want Joey there.

"We haven't told him yet," Rachel said. "I'm sure as long as there's food and a bed he's happy." Maybe not, Chandler thought. 

"I don't know Rach," Monica said. "Caitlin is a little skirmish around males, and if she's uncomfortable around Joey..." That's it, Chandler thought, play the concerned mother card. 

"Oh Mon, you're too overprotective of her!" Rachel said smiling. "But okay, he can stay with me and Ross." Monica nodded and Chandler flashed her a thumbs up. 

"Thanks Rachel I'm, just worried about how Caitlin will take to him," she lied more. 

"That's understandable Monica, really, don't worry about it, forget I mentioned it," she said. "Now, I really have to get going. Bye cutie." She gave Caitlin a kiss before disappearing. After she was gone, Monica and Chandler sighed. They would have two weeks to worry about his coming and then he would be there for almost two weeks. It would be a long month. 

Joey arrived and everyone but Monica and Chandler met him at the airport. While they did have reasonable excuses not to come, Joey knew the true reason they had not shown up. And it had nothing to do with Caitlin's doctor's appointment or Chandler's meeting. 

"Wait until you see Caitlin!" Phoebe said. "She's so cute!"

"Who does she take after?" Joey asked.

"Monica," Ross answered. "She looks like her: dark curls, bright blue eyes, and dimples. But she has Chandler in her. Unfortunately it looks as if she'll have his sense of humor." She looks like Monica, Joey thought to himself. She'll break hearts then. 

"You're staying with us," Rachel said. "I moved in with Ross about a month ago and we have an extra bedroom. We'd have you stay with Monica and Chandler because they have the most room, but we figured you would want to be in the city and not the suburbs." Joey nodded.

"Yeah, I've missed the city," Joey said, but he wondered if that was the real reason he wasn't staying with Monica and Chandler. 

"We're going to our apartment first and then we're all going to Monica and Chandler's," Ross told him. Again Joey nodded, but he dreaded going there. Seeing them happy, seeing their daughter. Would it be too much for him to take? The ride to Chandler and Monica's was silent. The cab pulled up in front of a large suburban house and Joey stepped out. They walked to the door and Rachel pulled it open. Some things, he thought, never change. They moved from an apartment to a house, but they all still walk in without knocking. 

"Mon? Chandler?" Phoebe called out. Monica appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Joey," she said softly.

"Monica," his voice caught in his throat. God, she was beautiful. Maybe even more beautiful now then she had been. Her hair was grown out and was layered, but she was still Monica. Still the girl who had broken his heart and was the reason he had left in the first place. She hugged him. At first he couldn't believe it, but she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He didn't complain, just relished at having her in his arms again. She still smelled the same, felt the same, and he still had the same feelings for her. When he opened his eyes, he saw Chandler staring at him. He could feel it. Chandler's eyes practically burning into him. But Chandler smiled. A smile that had a hidden meaning, but still a smile. Joey reluctantly let go of Monica and hugged his old friend.

"Nice to see you again," Chandler said. And both Monica and Joey could see that he meant it. Joey was still the same Joey who had invented hammer darts with him and fireball. Whatever had happened between the two of them, they still had their memories. And they were good memories for the most part. Well, Kathy had been a blot on their friendship, but they had overcome that. Why had they not been able to overcome Monica? Well, that was easy. It was Monica. It was the girl across the hall not some random one-night stand that became more. Well, for Joey it had, but it had never been the same as Kathy. Emotions were involved, hearts were invested. 

"Mommy!" A small voice cried from the living room and Monica excused herself. 

"You have to meet Caitlin," Ross said pulling Joey into the living room where Monica was tending to a little girl. Joey closed his eyes when he saw the two of them. They were right, Caitlin did look exactly like Monica. Except for the nose and the ears, they were Chandler's. Joey pretended for a minute that they were his family. Caitlin was his daughter and Monica was his wife. 

"Cait?" Chandler asked holding out his arms to the toddler. Caitlin toddled over and was scooped up in the warm, loving embrace of her father. "Remember we told you about Mommy and Daddy's friend Joey?" She nodded. She had remembered. She thought long and hard, her face scrunching up to think reminding Joey of her mother. 

"Joey," she finally came up with.

"Very good baby," Monica said coming over and giving Caitlin a kiss. "This is Joey. Joey this is Caitlin."

"Very nice to meet you Caitlin," Joey said. Caitlin smiled and pulled on Chandler's arm to let her down. 

"Unca Rwoss!" She called out and Ross picked her up and hugged her. Joey smiled, but it was a sad half smile, and even the other three could see that.

"Something wrong Joe?" Phoebe asked. 

"No," Joey lied. Rachel's phone rang and she answered. 

"Hello?" They all turned to listen to the conversation. "No, Jill, Ross and I have company...Jill....fine." She hung up. "Joey, I hate to do this to you, but my sister Jill needs to stay with us. Would you mind terribly staying here with Chandler and Monica? At least for tonight? You guys don't mind right?" Joey, Monica, and Chandler exchanged a look. Finally Chandler shrugged. 

"No," Joey said. "That would be fine." Rachel sighed. 

"Thanks Joe," she said. "Come on Ross. Joe, we'll bring your stuff right now." 

"I'll bring it back," Phoebe offered. "We'll be right back." The three left and Monica smiled at Joey.

"So Joey? Tell us about LA."

"Listen," he said. "I know this is uncomfortable, but its kind of good because I needed to talk to you guys." Chandler and Monica nodded and sat across from Joey. 

"Go ahead," Chandler said. 

"I just wanted to tell you that the reason I came back is that I want to have our friendship back," he told them. "I want you guys back. I miss you two and the others, and I want to get to know Caitlin. You were right Chandler, you're the one that she was meant to be with, and now that I can see it without it breaking my heart I can come back. I can be around you and not feel constant pain. That was what this trip was. To see if I could be with you and not hurt. And I can. It still hurts Mon. You're awfully hard to get over, but it's not constant. Is it okay? Can I come back?" It was quiet for a minute, and Joey was afraid that while it was no longer uncomfortable around them, they most certainly could be around him. He could see Monica was crying. He wondered why. 

"Sure," Monica said smiling. She leaned forward and hugged him. "It's nice to have you back." Oh, he thought, they were tears of happiness. They were tears shed over a lost friend that was back. 

"Really?" He asked. 

"Really," Chandler said and gave his old friend a hug. 

"Good," Joey said smiling. Everything was going to be okay. It had taken two years and three thousand miles between the three, but it would be okay. It could never go back to the way it was, but that was a good thing. They needed to move on and grow up, and that's what they did. Now they could be friends again, and now it would be better. They could move on with their lives. They could be friends again, and that was the most important thing. 

*~So that's a wrap folks, did you like the epilogue? Please tell me I live on reviews! It only takes one little minute.*~


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